Chronicle/Kendra Stanley-MillsFirst-time business owner Scott Maracek, 37, had returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq when he came up with the idea of locating a franchise of Muskegon's popular U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q restaurant in Whitehall. Enlarge photo

Ask any longtime Muskegon resident to recall some outstanding memories of years past and chances are they will mention the hot fudge sauce at the Occidental Candy Shop and the sandwiches at U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q, where the "secret sauce" has never been duplicated.

U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q

Where: 604 E. Colby, Whitehall, and Muskegon.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except Sundays. When Montague and Whitehall have home football games on Friday nights, the closing hour is 10:30 p.m.

Call: 893-8731

The Occidental hot fudge is just a memory now, but Muskegon's U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q is thriving, with the addition of a franchise on Colby Street In Whitehall.

Opening day in Whitehall in the totally transformed, former Blarney Castle gas station was Feb. 5 and business on the first day was "crazy," said owner and first-time restaurateur Scott Marecek. "People had been watching the construction going on for more than a year and they came that day."

People have been coming ever since. The booths were full on a recent day, where customers Sylvia Pecak and Donna Lathers were finishing their lunch with a piece of homemade pie. Both Pecak, 73, and Lathers, 80, a former Whitehall teacher, are widows and get together every Tuesday for lunch, sometimes at U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q, where the pork barbecue is their favorite.

"Pork barbecues are 85-90 percent of what we sell," Marecek said.

Four men in the next booth came over from nearby Parsons Small Engine Service and Repair to have lunch together. When the jovial group was asked if they enjoyed their lunch and were having a good time, three nodded their agreement.

Chronicle/Kendra Stanley-MillsKnown for its distinctive sauce, the U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q has been a Muskegon staple since 1939. Enlarge photo

The fourth, Red Paulson, answered, "They are. I'm not. I have to pay," which brought more laughter from his friends.

The modern restaurant went through a major transformation from the gas station that occupied this corner for many years.

Marilyn Coleman, 74, having lunch at the counter, said, "I used to come here to have my car fixed."

Things are different now that it is a restaurant. Every week, Marecek roasts 300-500 pounds of pork, beef and ham in a huge rotisserie oven before he puts it through a commercial meat slicer. Everything else to run a restaurant kitchen is here -- coolers, refrigerators, stainless steel sinks and countertops.

A friendly wait staff is ready to fill orders for a stream of customers. Barb Barrett, 50, has been here since opening day. A Whitehall resident, she knows many of the customers "on a first-name basis," she said.

Marecek's mother, Sandra Schaller, 65, spends a few hours every day helping out. "Scott's never been in the restaurant business and I've never been a waitress," she said.

Marecek decided to open the business after he returned in June 2006 from his second tour of duty in Iraq; he first went overseas in 1990 shortly after he graduated from Mona Shores High School. He earned a degree at Grand Valley State University and taught science at Fruitport Middle School and Three Oaks Academy in Muskegon until he was sent back to Iraq with the Montague National Guard unit.

On his second return, he needed a new job.

Chronicle/Kendra Stanley-MillsNoah Dykstra, 31, of Hesperia eats fries with his barbecue at the Whitehall U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q outlet. Enlarge photo

"So I did what I had to do," he said. He started looking.

Marecek had always liked the U.S. 31 Bar-B-Q sandwiches and he noted that the restaurant in downtown Muskegon was always busy. He arranged for a franchise with owner George Buris, whose father started the business in 1939 on Ottawa Street. The Muskegon outlet now is on Muskegon Avenue.

"He came to me and seemed to be energetic and hard-working, so I gave him the franchise," said Buris, who is retired but still goes downtown to the restaurant every day.

Marecek went for help getting started to Merchandising Equipment in Grand Rapids. That business guided him through the process of changing the gas station into the restaurant. They determined space requirements, customer capacity and layout.

"I didn't know what colors to choose, so I just went with what I have at home," he said. The neutral color scheme is enhanced with spicy accents. Posters of musical theater productions decorate the walls.

The U.S. 31 menu lists beef, pork, ham and mixed meat sandwiches, as well as soup, chili, desserts and beverages.

The consensus among customers is it's the sauce that makes the barbecue distinctive. An "alleged" recipe for the "secret sauce" has circulated, but it's not the same as Buris's recipe, Marecek said. The true recipe is a closely held secret; he purchases the sauce in large containers from the Muskegon restaurant where it is made.